The Infamous Fall
by cecilyp7
Summary: Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I let out a sob and clutch Aang, my hair falling over his small body. Everything is silent, except of course my sobs and the whir of the wind whipping around us. I failed. I close my eyes and begin rocking Aang in my arms.
1. Chapter 1

**I wrote this entire thing in one hour this morning. I read a fan fiction on here that didn't really do this scene justice, so I said screw it, I'm writing my own! This is a oneshot, but I could add some more, if requested! Enjoy.**

**I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

* * *

**Aang's POV**

I glance from side to side, an overwhelming feeling of dread washing across me. There are just too many. I look over to where Katara is, and my breath catches. There she was, summoning a rather large stream of water to form the octopus, determined to knock down the dozens of Dai Li agents surrounding her. She doesn't stand a chance. I look away, back towards Zuko and his sister. They were closing in on me. I sigh and take one more look at Katara, who meets my glance and gives me a small hopeful nod.

"I'm sorry, Katara." I mumble to myself. I swiftly earthbend the crystals underneath me to form a little cave, with encompasses me inside. I lower myself down to the ground and instantly sit in meditation form. I close my eyes and sigh.

Let her go.

I squeeze my eyes together and imagine Katara drifting away from me. My breath catches in fear at this. I shake it off. I can do this. I will let her go. If I don't, she will get hurt. I feel a strong surge of power flow through me, and I exhale one last time before the Avatar state completely overtakes me.

The power is incredible. I shove my hand out forward, breaking the small crystal dome I created. A blue light shoots up from me, and I begin to rise, feeling the power of all previous avatars sink through my body. Everyone below had looks of sheer terror on their faces. Except Katara. She was smiling, proud that I finally figured out how to access my avatar state without being fueled by rage or extreme sadness. How could she be so happy, knowing I had to give her up in order to achieve this?

No. You let her go. Focus.

I am pretty high above everyone, the wind I am creating whipping around them force fully. I lift up a hand and prepare to throw my first strike. Except, it doesn't come.

Instead, an extremely painful and burning sensation instantly hits my back. I hear thunder clapping, knowing that the source of pain being inflicted upon me is lightning. The pain. It is excruciating. I feel myself slip out of the Avatar state. But it doesn't stop there. I feel my own life draining. I suddenly feel wind hit my face, knowing I am plummeting towards the ground. My eyes close, and suddenly, everything mutes and all I can see is black.

**Katara's POV**

Tears burn my eyes. He's... Not going to make it. My legs have been glued to the Earth. Why am I not moving to catch him? It is as if instincts took over me, obviously aware that my conscious mind was incapable of doing anything at the moment. My subconscious bends a huge wave and I ride it frantically towards the falling airbender, submerging anything and anyone who gets in my way. To my relief, I make it in time, catching Aang just before he hits the ground.

But that relief quickly turns into despair, in realization that Aang is not breathing.

I can't feel his pulse anywhere throughout his body. We are drenched, my water tribe dress burned, and his robes completely tattered.

I look up at the monsters that did this. How could they justify themselves? Aang is just a kid. He didn't deserve any of this! Zuko and I make eye contact. I bore my eyes into his, knowing that I am making him feel uncomfortable. Good. He should be. Traitor. My eyes well up, and I prepare to bend a wall of water up to shield Aang and I from their impending attacks.

Fire licks the ground in front of me and I look to the side, only to see Zuko's uncle sliding down a rather large crystal to stand between my attackers and me.

"You have to get out of here! I'll hold them off!" he yells, I'm assuming towards me.

I lift Aang and myself up, clutching to his heavy lifeless body. We limp our way to a small waterfall, and I bend it, the water snaking around our bodies. I propel us up towards the opening at the top, glancing back to see the old man get imprisoned in a crystal hold. Tears stream down my face now, never thinking I could be forever grateful towards a person from the fire nation, not to mention he's related to the worst people on the planet. How could Zuko betray him? How could anyone?

The waterfall that was carrying us ends, and I shoot us towards the small opening in the top. We fall onto hard metal floor, and I quickly realize we are in the sewers, just below the city. I clutch Aang tightly to my body, trying to fight back my tears that were edging to leave my eyes.

He can't be dead. He can't.

I look up for an exit, when I notice a ladder not too far away from where we are standing. We straggle our way over to the exit, and I swiftly bend a powerful jet of water to blast away the small metal door that was closed at the top of the ladder. I then bend another stream of water, gently carrying Aang and I out of the sewers and onto the hard earth floor of an alley somewhere in the lower ring of Ba Sing Se.

I lay Aang down and reach down his pocket for his bison whistle. I put it between my lips and blow it as hard as I can. I look back down at Aang, and begin to examine the damage. His once vibrant air nomad clothing is ripped and destroyed. His entire body is littered with cuts and bruises. I gently lift him up and lean my head over his shoulder, to get a look at his back.

The sound that comes out of my mouth was inhuman. The lightning Azula struck Aang with left a mark so horrifying that I couldn't bare to steal another glance. It ripped through his blue tattoo, and his skin was singed around the edges of the burn. I move my eyes down his body more, checking every nook and cranny for more damage. He has a smaller burn on the bottom of his left foot that looks exactly like the scary one on his back.

I know I am crying now, yet aware of the weary people poking their heads somberly down the alley we are lying in to get a view of what was going on.

I hear the sweet sound of Appa groaning above me and I quickly cradle Aangs body in my lap, crying harder. Appa lands in front of us with a loud thud and I hear frantic footsteps making their way towards me.

"Katara what happ- oh no." Sokka says, stopping dead in his tracks. Toph is beside him, clutching onto his arm for dear life.

"He's... not there." she whispers, her face falling.

I sob even more, clutching Aang's light and small body to me, rocking back and forth. Sokka grabs my arm and tugs.

"Come on, let's get out of here." He whispers, surprisingly lifting me up from my slumped position on the floor. I walk towards the back of Appa and crawl up his tail, gently placing Aang down in front of me. I look back briefly only to see a rather large crowd of people looking up at Aang's lifeless body and me. I feel anger well up inside of me, and the next thing I know, I am yelling obscenities down at them, furious that they could just stand there and watch. Instead of scolding me, Sokka sadly sighs and grabs a hold of Appa's reins.

Without the need of a command, Appa soars up and in just a few minutes we are high up in the sky.

I am lying on top of Aang sobbing into what was left of his robes. There was nothing I could do. My healing could mend the minor bruises and cuts, but it couldn't bring him back to life.

But maybe the spirit water can! I fumble for the vial in my pocket and lift it up, the moonlight hitting it in an enchanting way.

"The spirit water!" I exclaim, making everyone in the saddle jump in my sudden outburst. Sokka jumps up from the top of Appa's head and bounds to the back, looking down at me with a gleam of hope in his eyes.

"Will it...work?" he asks me, swiftly grabbing Toph's hand to bring her over towards us. I ignore him and delicately bend the azure blue water out of the glass vial. It swirls around in the palm of my hand and with my other hand I lift Aang up and place him face down on my body, exposing his back to me.

I wince at the sight of the injury, placing the warm oasis water onto it. I watch as the water molds into the shape of the burn, lighting up all of our anxious faces. Then suddenly, it dims.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

I let out a sob and clutch Aang, my hair falling over his small body. Everything is silent, except of course my sobs and the whir of the wind whipping around us. I failed. I close my eyes and begin rocking Aang in my arms.

His tattoos begin to glow, only briefly. My breath catches and I lay him back down in front of me, anxiously pushing my hair behind my ears. Aang grunts and his eyelids crack open slightly.

"Katara...?" he whispers, barely audible. I gasp in pure happiness as a smile rips across my face. I grab his shoulder and bring him into me, engulfing him in a hug. Tears of joy stream down my cheeks, as I position myself next to him, holding his body onto my right. He lays his head onto my shoulder, giving one last sigh before closing his eyes. I lean my head on his and let a few of my remaining tears flow out. I snake my arms around his body and pull him in.

Nothing can and will separate us now. Next time I see Azula, and especially Zuko, I will make sure they experience the same level of pain they inflicted on Aang. And most importantly, me.

**Aang's POV**

Her eyes are painstakingly blue, even with all the sadness welled up in them. I couldn't think of anything else to say, so I just barely muster out her name. She is smiling down at me, but it wasn't her usual gleaming smile.

Tear lines stained her face, new tears replacing them. I want to reach out and wipe them from her, but I can't move. She lifts me into a hug and all I can hear are her sobs. I wish I could hug her back, but my arms just lay life less at my sides.

She gently sets me back down and snuggles up to my left, pulling me closer into her. I sigh in contentment, ignoring the extreme levels of pain flowing through my body. I close my eyes and lean my head into her shoulder, wanting nothing more than for this moment to last forever.

"The Earth Kingdom has fallen..." A voice says, definitely not a voice I am used to. I feel myself clench up, my eyes squinting in pain. Her arms tighten around me, as if to both calm me and reassure that she is here with me.

I sigh once again and, with all the power I have left in me, I fumble around for Katara's hand. As if she had the same idea, she grabs my hand and laces her fingers with mine. A small smile tugs at my lips, and I squeeze my eyes, letting my unconsciousness take over.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yeah, okay. So this story is definitely a one time thing, I was just in the mood to write about this particular scene today. Which I did while I was at work, as always! But, this is the last part of this story. I will be happy to write POV shots for any scene, if requested! Enjoy! **

* * *

**Katara's POV**

I am a disaster. It has been nearly three days since the ordeal at Ba Sing Se. I am still in my singed water tribe dress, and my hair is nothing short of a rat's nest. My face is red and puffy, perhaps from crying for most of these last days. I could careless about my appearance, I have no one to impress.

We took cover in a nearby cave, now waiting out a storm that has been brewing for the past two days. We are on our way to Chameleon Bay, to meet up with my father and the rest of the Southern Water Tribe fleet. But for now, I will have to make do with my own sleeping bag and blankets to use as a makeshift bed for Aang. He hasn't opened his eyes since three days ago when we were on Appa, fleeing from the fallen Earth kingdom capital. I am about positive he drifted into a mini coma.

Nonetheless, every three hours, I undo his bandages, heal his wounds, and rewrap his back. It's starting to become a routine, and I hate every minute of it. I am worried that I lost my healers touch, because anything I do isn't making anything better.

I turn my head and touch his forehead with my own. Our noses are touching as well, and I close my eyes, letting the feeling sink in. I don't know what changed inside of me that fateful night. Maybe it was the concept of seeing Aang's tiny body fall from the sky, smoke radiating off his body. Or maybe it was using the spirit water to heal him, only to be scared senseless when it took a while for the magic water to sink in. In a way, I hate myself for it. I hate myself for realizing how much Aang means to me when he is halfway through death's door. Is that what it takes? It really takes Aang dying right in front of my eyes for me to realize that I have had these overwhelmingly strong feelings for him built up inside me? Way to go, Katara. You're a real heartbreaker.

I take a deep breath and retreat, lifting myself up on my knees to get a better look at him. It's been about three hours. It's go time. I grab his shoulders and sit him up, balancing his body with my own. My hands find the numerous bandages on his back and tug at the tape holding them, unraveling the gauzes. What was left of his air nomad clothes are obnoxiously in the way, making it hard for me to remove the wrap. I angrily grunt, fed up with doing this over and over again. I pick up Sokka's whale-tiger tooth machete and tear through his shirt, his entire chest and back now perfectly revealed.

Normally, I would blush at this occasion. But I am too mentally exhausted to care at this point. I weakly get onto my feet and walk behind him. I lay him down on his stomach, gently placing his head on his pillow comfortably. I bend a rather large stream of water from the buckets filled with rain water and furrow my eyebrows, focusing as much energy as I can into it, until the familiar bluish glow lights up the dark cave that was specifically just for Aang and me. I place my hands delicately onto his back and move them in a circular motion over his now scarred lightning wound. The burn, at first, made me absolutely sick to my stomach. It took me a while before I could physically touch it. I was absolutely terrified that any contact with it would hurt Aang terribly.

After a few moments, I remove the water from his back and bend it to the ground. I turn Aang onto his back, his face looking peaceful as it always does when I finish a healing session. I bring his small blanket over his body, tucking it in on his right side. I slide into through the left and cover my body with the same blanket, snuggling close to his chest. For the first time in a few days, I feel the familiar heat rise up to my cheeks, in realization that Aang was, in fact, shirtless with me under this blanket. I feel a small girlish giggle build up in the back of my throat.

I am, in fact, very aware of Aang's strong feelings towards me. I actually reveled in it, really. But now? I would be very surprised if I kept my hands off him the moment he cracks his eyes open. I'll have to remain strong, just for him. He's being stronger than me right now, and he can barely keep a rhythmic breathing rate up. I bring my hand to his cheek and sigh. This would be the time where I'd start crying. But I'm all dried out. I've been crying non-stop for forty-eight hours, so I am really not surprised that no tears are falling right now.

Sooner or later though, the tears are bound to appear. I shake off the dreary feeling and snuggle even closer, resting my hands on his chest, trying to make myself breath at the same rate he is. Soon enough, the sound of his breathing lulls me to sleep, as it has been doing for the past few nights. It is the only thing that keeps me going.

**Aang's POV**

The smell of cherry blossom fills my nostrils. It was her smell. I can feel her presence very close to me, but I am afraid. Afraid to open my eyes and return to the real world, return to my duty as the Avatar. In all honesty, I'd pick lying in a dark cave with just Katara and one blanket over all knowing cosmic energy any day.

Who am I kidding? I could never let go of Katara, not in a million years, or in a thousand Avatar lifetimes. What a terrible Avatar I am. But, at this very moment, I don't feel like the Avatar. I just feel like a kid. A twelve year-old goofy monk from the Southern Air Temple. Just an airbending protégé. I wearily crack one eye open. All I could see was her hair, sprawled out everywhere. The lone flickering candlelight made this moment feel almost surreal.

I don't know when I was jolted awake. Maybe a few moments ago? I am not so sure how long I've been asleep, but I'm assuming it has been quite a while.

My quiet thoughts are interrupted with Katara anxiously stirring by my side, slowly waking up from her short slumber. I snap my eyes shut, not entirely prepared to face her just yet.

**Katara's POV**

I shoot awake, a small nightmare shaking me down to my bones. I shift my head up, only to be greeted by Aang's soft and now, to my relief, painless expression. I prop my self up with one elbow, not removing my gaze. I reach my fingers to the tip of his arrow, tracing it from his forehead to the back of his neck, smiling to myself when I realize that little hairs are starting to sprout. I bring my fingers down the side of his face to his chin.

I don't know what feeling came over me. It was something I've never experienced before in my entire life. It was a rather odd feeling, yet I was enjoying the sensation quite a bit. I tighten my grasp around his chin slightly and begin to gravitate my head towards his. I could feel his breath on my lips, both calm, yet a little raspy. I close my eyes and delicately place my lips on his.

Everything was silent around me, and I could feel my pulse pounding in my head. I feel my heart flip in my stomach when I feel his lips move against mine. Is he kissing me back right now? Did I really just kiss Aang out of his coma? You've got to be kidding me.

I slowly pull away and evaluate his face. I feel my hopes drop, realizing that I was obviously imagining the sensation of his lips moving against mine. I sigh and move back into my original position, head on his chest and an arm lazily across his torso. I give one last deep sigh before letting sleep once again, swarm over me.

**Aang's POV**

_Good spirits, she was kissing me._

My heart feels as if it were to burst through my rib cage. Her lips are soothingly warm against mine, mesmerizing me to a point that I feel my eyes roll back in my eyelids. I have to use all my might to hold back a moan that was building up in my throat. Do I just lie here, letting the girl I am in love with kiss me senseless? Or do I return the favor? It was as if my lips had a mind of their own and soon enough, I am kissing her back.

In my surprise she recoils, a gasp coming out of her mouth. I instantly stop moving my face, hoping I don't blow my cover. I hear her sigh and revert back to her original position on my chest. I hold my breath until I am positive she has fallen asleep, and slowly release it, my eyes drooping.

I decided right then and there that I was ready. Ready for anything, whether it be facing Fire Lord Ozai or the girl I am hopelessly head over heels in love with. I snake my arms around her sleeping body and pull her in closer, resting my head atop of hers. The smell of cherry blossom fills my nose once more, as I slowly drift off into what I know was going to be a pleasant sleep.

Whatever I was soon to face in the next few months, I know now... I am ready.


End file.
